This blog of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) provides an insight into how the LPC recommend youth, adult and apprentice minimum wage rates for the UK and the advice given to government on the National Living Wage.

We give you regular updates on our evidence gathering field trips around the UK, new statistical analysis on UK labour market data, an insight into our Commissioners as well as a behind-the-scenes look at why we do the work we do and take the positions we take. We also invite you to discuss your views on with us.

Low Pay Commissioners: A peek under the tent: Clare Chapman

Ever wondered how the Low Pay Commission Ever wondered how the Low Pay Commission gets to its recommendation on how to set the pay rates that make up the Minimum Wage? Well here is a peek under the tent.

Getting Out and About: John Caseley

Each year there is a big fanfare in the media when the National Minimum Wage (NMW) rates are announced by Government, but very few people know how these recommendations come about. Let me enlighten you about one of the most important aspects of our evidence gathering (on low pay) – Commission visits.

Minimum wage non-compliance - how big is the problem? Simon Blake

We have recently seen further public naming of firms found to be non-compliant with the National Minimum Wage. It follows closely on the heels of plans announced by the government in September. These include higher penalties on employers, more funding for HMRC (which enforces the NMW) and even disqualification for directors. But exactly how much non-compliance is there?

Why should younger workers get paid less than older workers for doing a similar job?This is a recurrent question faced by the Low Pay Commission in relation to the minimum wage, which has lower rates for 16-17 year old workers and 18-20 year old workers than those aged 21 and over. It is a question about to become more pressing still with the introduction of the National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and over, which means those aged 21-24 may effectively become a new age band.

Finding out about low pay challenges in Leicester: Neil Carberry

Waiting for a delayed train at the now magnificently rebuilt Birmingham New Street offers me the chance to write a quick blog. I am on my way back from Leicester, where three Commissioners - Sarah Brown, Brian Strutton and me - have spent the last two days talking to workers, businesses and their representatives about low pay.

National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage: David Norgrove

In 2010, when I became Chair of the Low Pay Commission (LPC), the consensus was that the once controversial National Minimum Wage (NMW) had become a settled part of the political and economic landscape.
Times change. Think tanks, political parties, and archbishops published reviews on the NMW and the role of the Commission before the election. The Chancellor announced in this summer’s budget a National Living Wage (NLW): new territory for business and workers alike.

The new policy will change the UK labour market significantly. Here is a primer to get up to speed on the basic facts about the policy, and some of the initial reactions we have heard to how it will work in practice.

Welcome to the Low Pay Commission blog - an introduction by David Norgrove,

Welcome to the blog of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) - the independent body of employers, unions and experts that recommends to the Government the level of the National Minimum Wage (NMW).